Instrument support



Oct. 18,1927.

A. F. PIEPER INSTRUMENT SUPPORT Filed 061,. 8. 1926 l Ime/n.127.)

Patented Oct. l18, 1927.

* UNITED STATES ALPHONSE rrrrnrnn, or ROCHESTER, NEW' Yoan.

INSTRUMENT SUPPORT.

Application filed October 8, 1926. Serial N0. 14Q,354.

My invention relates to instrument support particularly useful on dental units for receiving and automatically properly 'positioning instruments so that they may be readily gripped by the operator to be in correct operating position in the hand without further manipulation. My invention is particularly desirable where tubes or sockets:

are lutilized on the dental unit for normally supportingthe instruments .which are connected by cords with power supplying tersupport of one or more tubes or sockets 12 in which are seated various dental instruments, instrument 13 shown being a hot air syringe. The cord 14 connects at the outer end with the instrument and extends through the tube into the interior of the pedestal, `its inner end being supported at 15 for the connection with power supply, as for example, compressed air or electricity. The cord loops around a pulley 16 from which is suspended the weight 17, this weighed .pulley tending to keep the cord drawn into the pedestal and returning the instrument to its holder when it is released after operating use thereof. As before stated, it is very desirable that the instrument will seat in a certain position within its tube. I accomplish this by' roviding a'camway or guideway within tie tube 'which is engaged will be retractedand the instrument drawn` Fig, 1 is a side elevational view of a dental a pin extending from. the instrument', the

PATENT 'OFFICE'.LA 'y guideway sloping to a seat to which the in-` 1*' ystrument is drawn by the pull of the cord,e`n' gagement of the pin with the sloping guideway causing the instrumentY to turn and toV assume its proper position inthe tube. {'AsYV shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4, I provide the camway or guideway by inserting a bushing 18 in the tube whose upper edge 19 presents the inclined surface to be engaged by the pin or stud 2O extending fromthe instrument 13."

T he bushing may be formedy byl bending a piece of sheet metal tocircular cross section,

the bushing holding itself securelyin posi'-` tion in the tube by its spring action against the tube, and to prevent longitudinaldisplacement thereof an annular shelf or shoulder 2l may be provided in the tube 12. "The .surface 19 may be formedby cutting theA upper end of the bushingdiagonally to form the downward inclined surfaces A landy B which lead to the vertical edges 'Gand D ofg the bushing, these y' edges being separated-a1 distance to leave the slot E of afwidth to accommodate the stud 20. The' slot is'narrowed atthelower end to leave the abutment or seat ends F and Gr against which the stud 2O comes to rest when the instrument hasf been drawnto its proper position within Athe tube. When the instrumenty is placed lin the tube or drawn thereinto by the weighted cord, if the stud 2O Vis in alignment with the slot E, the instrument will be drawn down longitudinally `to its seat and proper position within the tube.

However` if the instrument is rotatably displaced from its proper position, the stud 2O will engage with either the inclined surface A or B and as the instrument is fpulled downwardly the engagement of the stud on the inclined surface will cause the instrument to be rotateduntil the st-ud is brought into the slotto thus guide the instrument to its proper. seating position in the tube. n

In Fig. 2 the stud 20 is shown in engag ment with the inclined surface A and the instrument will therefore be rotated with the stud toward the right. If the stud were in engagement with the other inclined surface B, the instrument would be rotated in the opposite direction during its downward travel in the tube. The operator is thus always assured that the instrument will be in the proper position which will enable him to immediately get the proper thereon operating purposesi The guiding surfaces of groove could be formed in dilferent ways from that shown.

said socket and connected with said instrument, the other end ofsaid cord terminating i within said support, means tending to draw said cord into said support whereby said instrument when released will be drawn into the socket, and means for rotating said instrument when it is pulled into said socket to cause said instrument to assume a'determined normal position in said socket.

2., In a dental unit, the combination of a support pedestal, an instrument tube supported on said pedestal, an instrumentfor seating in said tube, a weighted power sup'- ply cord within said pedestal extending at its Aouter end through said tube and connected with said instrument, a guide stud on the instrument, and inclined guiding surfaces on the inside of said tube receiving said stud and causing rotational movement `of the instrument. during longitudinal movement thereof in said tube whereby said instrument will be guided to a. determined normal seating position in said tube. l

3.? In a dental unit, the combination .of a

support pedestah an instrument tube sup-V portsdon said pedestal, an instrument for seating in saidtube, a weighted power supply cord extending into said tube and connected with said instrument, the other end of said cord terminating within said pedestal, means tending to draw said cord into said pedestal whereby said instrument when released will be drawn into said tube, a guide stud on the instrument, and a bushing within said tube having inclined guiding surfaces tor receiving said stud and causing rotational movement of the instrument dur-` ing longitudinal movement thereof in said tube whereby said instrument will be guided to a determined normal seating position in said tube. i

4. In a dental unit, the combination of a supporting pedestal, an instrument tube supported on said pedestal, an instrument for engaging in said tube, a power supply cord extending into said tube and connected with said instrument, the other end of said cord terminatingV within said pedestal, meanswithin said pedestal tending to draw said cord through said tube and said instrument into the tube, a `guide stud on said instrument,k and a bushing within said tube, said bushing having a longitudinally extending slot terminating in a seatvat its lower end Vand having its upper edge inclined toward ALPHONSE n. rianne. 

